Cornish / Indian Game

The Cornish is known as the Indian Game in its native county of Cornwall in England.

Cornish chickens, as well as crosses of Cornishes, are the most-used breed in the chicken meat industry. They are heavy, muscular birds that lay brown eggs and require little feed if allowed free range. It is a large, stocky breed, and is often crossed with other breeds to enhance meat production.

There are two varieties, the Cornish Game and the Jubilee Cornish Game. The Cornish Game is dark blue - green in colour, with brown patterning on the hens.

Jubilee Cornish Game are much lighter, and less stocky than their counterparts. They are usually light wheaten in colour, with light brown patterning.

The Indian game, also known as Cornish, is sometimes called the bulldog among chickens; you can actually see the roast chicken shape in it. It was created because people wanted to cross the Asian game breeds with old English game to create a fantastic fighter. However what they got (though not the right build for fighting) was a fantastic meat bird.

The breed comes in many colours and is quite a popular show bird, though it has a tendency for bad legs due to widely spaced hips. It is also when crossed with a Sussex or a Dorking, an excellent backyard meat bird.

On average Indian Game produce 160-180 eggs per annum. Though aggressiveness is a common characteristic they are relatively easy to handle and make very good sitters and mothers.

Indian Game require more space than most other breeds so they may not be suitable for suburban producers or enthusiasts. The Indian Game is however highly prone to parasites, the Cornish must also be provided with extra shelter as their feathers tend to be thinner than other birds.